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Shocking – Republicans Intentionally Undermine Economy, Country

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), in a shocking and world-shaking allegation, has accused the Republican Party of malevolently attempting to undermine the United States in an attempt to hurt President Barack Obama in the 2012 general elections.

According to The Huffington Post, the Democratic Party has, in the last few weeks, begun hinting that their Republican opposition may be more politically motivated than ideological. Senator Schumer stated, “Now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan — and it has a double-benefit for Republicans.” He went on to say that, “It is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012.”

How has it taken this long for the Democratic Party to come to this conclusion? EconomyinCrisis has published items on many occasions in the past three years outlining how our political process has regressed into nothing more than fighting over the last remnants of a sinking ship.

ThinkProgress highlighted nearly nine months ago when Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated explicitly that his goal in the Senate was to blockade the White House and force Barack Obama into being an ineffective one-term president.

The Democrats have a rare few progressive policy changes that would help the economy on the trade, healthcare, financial, military, and tax fronts. The Republicans have zero constructive agenda, and are merely in opposition to everything the Democrats put forward. The opposition leads to a political fight, in which Republicans give no ground, the Democrats capitulate, and the “compromise” is the sort of weak and ineffective legislation that simply puts the United States further in the hole.

Republicans put hundreds of amendments into the economic stimulus package, financial reform, and healthcare reform before voting almost universally against the legislation. Most of the amendments created loopholes for the wealthy or for corporate interests or made life more expensive and more difficult for the middle and working classes.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has turned his back on so-called “ObamaCare” despite being its chief architect.

The Republicans, usually quick to jump into any foreign wars, are unilaterally against the UN-sanctioned actions by NATO forces in Libya – President Obama was among the first world leaders to take a stand in support of the people in Libya.

Republican presidential candidates who were once war hawks are now against the troop deployments in Afghanistan – President Obama wants to keep troop levels elevated for several years.

Republicans are against withdrawing troops from Iraq in accordance with President Bush’s long-established time line – President Obama is following the exact prescribed withdrawal.

President Obama wanted to use the stimulus to build trains and highways and fund education; Republicans successfully diverted the largest portion of the stimulus toward tax cuts.

After happily supporting all of President Bush’s lavishes for eight years the Republicans are suddenly worried about the debt. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a Bush appointee, has said that the first cuts need to be to the defense budget. Unfortunately, since Gates (a Republican) is now part of the Obama administration his wishes have fallen on deaf ears.

Republicans would much rather cut the handful of dollars that help low-income families acquire food stamps, or help legal immigrants find employment opportunities.

The Republican appointees to the Supreme Court just days ago voted in favor of the world’s largest corporation and against more than one million women who were claiming discrimination. Even Fox News Channel, a Republican-centric political organization, was surprised by that extent of right-wing opposition.

Republicans have proposed more than forty amendments to the Constitution since November 2008 – most of which have nothing to do with actual systemic problems this country faces. However, the party is unwilling to support a re-introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee protection against sex discrimination in the workplace.

The Republican Party has absolutely nothing to offer this country moving forward, not because they are incapable of being useful but because it is easier to simply make the other side look bad by dragging their feet. Unfortunately for the rest of us we are all going to be dragged down with them.

Every policy supported by Republican elected officials on the national level since 2008 has been aimed at hurting Barack Obama personally or hurting the Democratic Party electorally. They have no interest in ending the trade gap, balancing the budget, ending the wars, or rebuilding the economy. They simply want to be the ones in control when this ship finally goes under the waves forever.